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What was life like for Slaves? Life in Africa The people of West Africa had a rich and variety history and culture long before European slavers arrived. They had a wide variety of political arrangements including kingdoms, city-states and other organisations, each with their own languages and culture. How slaves were captured Captives may have been marched across country on foot for anything up to a year, shackled by chains or yokes around their necks in a coffle. Many slaves were captured on slave raids in nearby villages. About 15 percent of the captured slaves died during their capture and sale. There were often thirty of forty men, women and children joined together about a metre apart and carrying food supplies or more goods to be traded, particularly ivory. Many people died in the process of capture and transportation, some estimates suggests as many as half died at this stage. The routes to the coasts were littered with skeletons. The Middle Passage The Middle Passage is when the goods and the slaves get transported from the African coastline to the Americas. The conditions during the Middle Passage was horrible. The journey lasted between 40 and 70 days and approximately ten million slaves were taken across the Atlantic in this way between 1510 and 1833. Men were loaded in the bow which is the front of the ship, boys in the centre, and women in the stern which is the back of the ship. There were no extra space wasted at all. It was packed. It is estimated that about two million africans died on ships like the Brookes during this time. Living conditions were horrific. Temperatures below deck could reach 35 degrees celsius and seasickness and heatstrokes were very common. Dysentery was also very common, a nasty form of diarrhoea. The only toilet was a bucket but many couldn't reach it so the ended up lying in their own waste and everyone else's. Alot of children were unsteady on their feet due to hunger and the sea often fell into the toilet tub and almost suffocated. Others died of harsh treatment and poor food. Some of them died with infectious diseases, such as small pox, were thrown to sharks. Others also went mad. Some committed suicide by hanging themselves or jumping ship. Their hands and feet were chained together, making it very difficult for them to move without hurting themselves as the shackles often bit into their skin. Arrival in America When the slaves arrive in America they were usually brought to local slave markets. They get cleaned up, get their health checked, and were chained together. They will be checked to see how much they worth, what type of work they were most suitable for etc. They are then presented in a slave auction infront of a crowd of slave buyers who will buy them. This is when families get torn apart most, because they are often bought by different buyers, but the Africans have no choice other than to stay obedient to their masters. Life in Americas Most women become household slaves, where they have the job to clean up the inside of the house. Whereas men were usually stronger, so they were mostly farm slaves. They work on the farms